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August 7, 2024 - Daily Distance: 8 km - Total Distance: 314 km
The stop in Onna was strongly desired. It was essential to see the condition of this town, devastated by the earthquake. Additionally, Onna is only 7 km from L’Aquila, which allows us to conclude with one last short stage, arriving in the city early in the morning.
We set off accompanied by a calm we’re not used to. The sun is already up, we have breakfast in the apartment, and we start exploring the town. The feeling is the same as the evening before: aside from the workers engaged in reconstruction, we are alone. It’s striking to see this village risen from the rubble, yet completely empty, with no soul in the streets.
We leave Onna and head towards the tratturo. This time the route is clear: a small cart road that runs alongside the railway. We proceed slowly, chatting about this and that. It’s the last day, our destination is near, and there’s no rush. There’s a sense of languor typical of when you’re about to finish something important. I wonder what my feet, now accustomed to the movement, will say tomorrow when I have to stop them.
During the walk, we notice that many of the level crossings that once allowed crossing the railway have been removed, probably for economic reasons. Some have been replaced by pedestrian underpasses, but this doesn’t concern us: our route continues along the dirt road.
After a while, the road widens and becomes paved, but it seems to lead nowhere. No cars pass by. It’s as if they started building something and never finished it. We continue, and the road becomes dirt again.
We find more closed level crossings, but we don’t pay much attention, convinced that the last one will still be in operation and will allow us to cross the railway and reach SS17. However, no: even the last level crossing has been closed, and no underpass is in sight. The tratturo is well-marked in this first part, its presence is known, so it’s puzzling how the authorities could have closed such a crucial access.
We are forced to take an unpleasant, long, and busy detour on SR5bis. Not everything always goes as planned, but a bit more attention wouldn’t have hurt.
Eventually, we manage to cross the railway and reach SS17, which we follow... to a bar! During the walk, I had been unsuccessfully trying to spot the first houses of L’Aquila. Sitting comfortably at the table, I check the GPS to see how much further we have to go and am surprised: we’re practically at the foot of the Basilica of Collemaggio! I look up, and sure enough, I see the back of the basilica. We’ve arrived without even realizing it.
We prepare to tackle the final climb. Halfway up, we find a botanical garden and decide to cross it to avoid the asphalt. However, once we finish the climb, we realize that the back exit is closed. Someone else must have had the same misadventure, because the fence near to the gate has been lifted. We do the same, crawl underneath, and finally reach the Basilica of Collemaggio.
As we approach, we first pass close to the Holy Door, established by Pope Celestine V, the Pope of the Great Refusal. It’s really just a short distance now. We take the customary photos, almost as if trying to delay the end of the journey, but finally, we pass through the main door and enter the Basilica, which welcomes us with its simplicity. We look around, satisfied: we have reached our destination, a goal that at the beginning seemed very distant but which, step by step, we have achieved.
Needless to say, up until the end, we continued to find the "Cammino della Pace" signs from time to time. On returning, I had to solve the mystery, and a quick search on the Internet revealed that it is a 500 km route from L’Aquila to Monte Sant’Angelo in Puglia, and those who created it tried to make the most of the tratturos. That explains why we kept intersecting its path! For those interested, I’ll leave the link to their website
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Track of the day